Neonatal and maternal outcomes associated with elective term delivery

The Impact of Gestational Age on Resource Utilization After Open Heart Surgery for Congenital Cardiac Disease From Birth to 1 Year of Age

“…Investigators elsewhere have observed this same practice, attributing it to logistics, convenience, and maternal and provider preference [10,15,16]. Explanations for this ''normalization of deviance'' or unsound practice that continues because of an anecdotally derived favorable experience [10] are multifactorial and beyond the scope of this report.…”

“…Several investigations also have shown significant morbidity associated with delivery at 37-38 weeks compared with 39-40 weeks [10,29].…”

“…Explanations for this ''normalization of deviance'' or unsound practice that continues because of an anecdotally derived favorable experience [10] are multifactorial and beyond the scope of this report.…”

Litigation related to intrapartum fetal surveillance

“…These various pitfalls in properly assessing uterine activity and determining when it is excessive account for the high prevalence of "tachysystole," for the lack of a consistent response to its appearance and for the widespread allegations of oxytocin abuse in medicolegal cases involving adverse neonatal outcomes [71,6,72,80]. The European recommendation to limit the frequency of contractions to 7 in 15 min seems far more physiological and safe than the 5 in 10 limit in the United States [79].…”

What’s new in obstetric anesthesia?

“…94 The timing of term birth Term pregnancy lasts between 37 and 42 weeks from the last menstrual period until delivery, but gestational age is a biologic continuum, and neonatal outcomes appear to be optimized for those infants born between 39 and 41 completed weeks of gestation. [95][96][97][98] Elective delivery before 39 weeks' completed gestation has been endorsed as a useful quality measure by the National Quality Forum, 99 the Institute of Healthcare Improvement, 100 and the Joint Commission. 101 The American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecology also recommends that the elective induction of labor should be delayed until 39 weeks.…”